How to Respond to Negative Reviews in the Hospitality Industry

Do you check your business listing on the popular travel review Websites? What are people saying? Are you responding to their reviews or just letting them float on the front page of TripAdvisor? Responding to negative reviews shows that you care about correcting the mistake and that you accept responsibility for the experience and care about the customer. If a complaint is unattended online, any potential traveler has every right to assume they will experience the same and ultimately affects their decision to book another destination.

Are you worried you won’t say the right thing? Don’t be! Use the guidelines below to draft a “stock response” and insert the specific complaint within the paragraph to add the personal touch.

An acceptable response from management usually includes the following details:

  • Apology
  • Acknowledgement of the specific complaint
  • Thank you for the feedback
  • Invitation to speak directly with manager
  • Proposed solution or action that’s been taken to correct complaint
  • Full name and job title
  • Contact Information

The best way to do this in an effective, efficient and timely manner is to create a stock response that’s easily tailored to the specific complaint. A good example for a response to a negative customer review is below.

I appreciate your honest review regarding your last trip to the -insert location here-. Please accept my sincerest apology for the -insert bad experience here-. Please be assured that we value your comments and business and would be humbled if you chose to join us again so that we may show you that the experience you had was far from the experience we aim to promote. It would be my pleasure to speak with you directly.

Kind Regards,
Your name here
Your Contact information here

 

Responses don’t have to be limited to negative reviews. Respond to positive reviews with a heartfelt thank you and show the review community how much you appreciate your customers! If you can set aside 15 minutes per week for dedicated TripAdvisor or Yelp time, that’s enough to maintain your brand image in front of the social review world.

RezStream Hospitality Tips for Responding to Negative Reviews

1. Claim your free business listing on popular review sites using a frequently-checked email address.
2. Create a stock response for negative reviews
3. Respond to every review!

About Company: RezStream is a digital marketing agency located in Denver, Colorado that offers hospitality solutions including Internet marketing, Website design, reservation software and booking engine.